Plan a Session

Anyone can (and should!) create a RootsCamp session. Some people will want to do a lot of planning before they arrive, and some sessions will evolve in the moment out of other sessions or conversations. Both are valuable! To help you get started, we’ve put together a few helpful tips for planning a great session.

Plan

Come up with a great title. Attention grabbing, specific but concise. Avoid lingo and acronyms.Be specific. Good sessions ideas include: innovations, campaigns, strategies, case studies.Collaborate.Consider finding a co-facilitator/co-leader with a different perspective or experience from yours.Optimize Visuals.Use only what is necessary. Opt for simple and compelling images, avoid text heavy materials.Utilize social media. Promote your session on the #roots18 hashtag.

Facilitate

Be inclusive. Pay attention to who is being heard and seen, especially as it pertains to race/ class/ gender/ sexuality/ disability, and use activities designed to lift up all people’s experiences with the problem at hand. If you want some help on doing this, consider attending the Facilitator Training during the first session of Day 1.

Be interactive. A good guideline is 20% talking/presenting/showing, 70% discussion/activity and 10% next steps.

Be solution-oriented. Identify the problem, ways to improve and push towards a resolution. Avoid accusations or blame.

Be intentional. Use gender neutral pronouns, be mindful of privilege (Who is speaking and who isn’t?), aim to hear from a variety of perspectives, set norms to encourage questions and participation, credential yourself.

Be flexible, relevant, and on time.

Ready to submit your session?

Fill out this form online the week before RootsCamp, or visit The Board outside Room 311-315 in person on Saturday and Sunday to submit in person. Have fun!